Government Contracts

April 29, 2025
Retirees Fight Lockheed's Quick Appeal Push In Annuity Suit

Lockheed Martin retirees urged a Maryland federal judge not to allow the company to immediately challenge a ruling that kept alive their suit claiming Lockheed illegally pushed workers' pensions into risky annuities, arguing an appeal would be premature even though a similar case was recently tossed out.
April 28, 2025
SAIC, Feds, Microsoft Settle Night-Vision Goggle Patent Suit

The federal government has reached a deal to end a suit from Science Applications International Corp. accusing the government of contracting with Microsoft and L3 Technologies Inc. for night-vision goggle weapon systems with infringing displays.
April 28, 2025
Veolia Settles Flint Water Crisis Claims For $53M

A Michigan federal judge entered final judgment Monday in litigation brought by the state of Michigan and about 26,000 individuals against Veolia North America alleging it prolonged the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, after a $53 million settlement was approved earlier this month.
April 28, 2025
Viasat, Feds Settle Protest Of $424M Satellite Contracts

The federal government and Viasat Inc. said they have settled the communications company's bid protest claims after the Space Development Agency revealed in February that its director shared bidding information with Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems before awarding it a $254 million contract.
April 28, 2025
Judge 'Commandeered' VOA, DC Circ. Told

The Trump administration is urging the D.C. Circuit to narrow an injunction preserving the agency that oversees Voice of America while the administration appeals a ruling that halted the broadcasting service's dismantling, saying a trial court judge ruled too broadly by reinstating grant agreements and employees.
April 28, 2025
Airport Contractor Says Peru Must Pay $91M Award

A contractor on a stymied project to construct and operate an airport in a tourist-heavy region of Peru is urging a D.C. federal court to issue a $91 million default judgment against the country, which it says has for months ignored its petition to enforce an underlying arbitration award.
April 28, 2025
SolarWinds Seeks Final Win Over SEC's 'Face-Saving' Case

SolarWinds Corp. has asked a New York federal judge to grant it an early win in a suit brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission accusing the software developer of hiding cybersecurity vulnerabilities that led to the 2020 Sunburst attack, saying the SEC's suit has "devolved into a face-saving exercise."
April 28, 2025
Judge Weighs Impact Of Top Court Ruling On DOE Grant Cap

A federal judge hearing a challenge to a Department of Energy grant cap on Monday expressed concerns about the case's potential overlap with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that cast doubt on a bid to revive federal teacher training grants.
April 28, 2025
2nd Circ. Upholds Clinic Manager's Repeat Charges For Fraud

A decision that allowed the federal government to reindict a health clinic manager for a Medicare and tax fraud scheme can stand, a Second Circuit panel found Monday, agreeing with the lower court that his offenses were serious enough to permit it.
April 28, 2025
High Court Skips Review Of Investors' Eminent Domain Case

The U.S. Supreme Court refused Monday to review a case from a pair of real estate investors who sought more compensation from a New York transportation authority that used eminent domain to take their renovated residential property.
April 28, 2025
Justices Seek US Stance In $120M Iraq Immunity Suit

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday asked the federal government to weigh in on a Pennsylvania defense contractor's petition seeking clarity on parts of the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act's commercial activity exception, as the contractor looks to enforce a $120 million judgment against Iraq.
April 25, 2025
19 AGs Sue Trump Admin Over Anti-DEI School Funding Threat

Nearly 20 state attorneys general sued the U.S. Department of Education in Massachusetts federal court Friday accusing it of embarking on efforts to withhold funding from educational institutions that engage in vague, undefined, "illegal" diversity, equity and inclusion practices through an agency action passed earlier this month.
April 25, 2025
HHS Says Cuts Target Excess After Judge Seeks More Info

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services told a Rhode Island federal judge that a group of states has no basis to challenge the cancellation of billions in grants supporting public health programs because they already received the funds appropriated to them by Congress.
April 25, 2025
DOD To Assess Tricare Program Competition In Ga. And Fla.

The U.S. Department of Defense has awarded contracts to CareSource Military and Veterans to compete with managed care support contractors in delivering health, medical and administrative support services to eligible Tricare beneficiaries in the Atlanta and Tampa markets.
April 25, 2025
Judge Blocks Trump Order Limiting Fed. Worker Bargaining

A Washington, D.C., federal judge on Friday blocked President Donald Trump's order last month seeking to end collective bargaining for workers at more than a dozen federal agencies with national security roles, two days after suggesting during oral arguments that Trump's order was retaliatory.
April 25, 2025
Feds Accused Of Illegal Education Data Collection Rollback

The Department of Education is defying congressional mandates requiring the collection and analysis of national education data, including by canceling $900 million in data maintenance and collection contracts, educational organizations said in a lawsuit filed in Washington, D.C., federal court.
April 25, 2025
Local Gov'ts, Union Sue Over COVID Grant Cancellations

Four local governments have joined with a government employees union to challenge the federal government's termination of $11 billion in grants stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, seeking an injunction restoring the funds and a declaration that the decision to mass-terminate the grants was unlawful.
April 25, 2025
Font Size Error Dooms USDA Contract Bid

An information technology services company lost out on a U.S. Department of Agriculture contract for using the wrong font size in its quotation, after the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that it failed to follow the USDA's formatting guidelines.
April 25, 2025
Taxation With Representation: Dechert, Brown Rudnick

In this week's Taxation With Representation, Boeing sells parts of its digital aviation solutions business to Thoma Bravo, Baker Tilly and Moss Adams join forces, Mobico sells its U.S. school bus business to I Squared Capital, and Apollo commits to a joint venture with Bullrock Energy Ventures.
April 25, 2025
Calif. High Court Wants Answers On Bar Exam AI Use

Days after the State Bar of California revealed it utilized artificial intelligence to develop some questions included in its embattled February 2025 exam, the state's Supreme Court released a statement demanding the bar association provide additional details.
April 24, 2025
DC Circ. Fears Newman Atty Would Impeach Disabled Judges

The attorney fighting Federal Circuit Judge Pauline Newman's suspension alarmed the D.C. Circuit on Thursday when he argued that judges can only have their work taken from them if they voluntarily resign or are impeached.
April 24, 2025
DOT Drops SDNY Attys Who Accidentally Exposed Case Flaws

The U.S. Department of Transportation said Thursday it replaced its defense counsel after the U.S. Attorney's Office in New York's Southern District accidentally filed publicly a confidential memo advising the DOT it's "very unlikely" to win litigation challenging the DOT's bid to kill New York's congestion pricing.
April 24, 2025
Judge Presses Feds To Explain Int'l Students' Data Removal

A Georgia federal judge on Thursday considered extending an order to restore over 130 current and former international students to a U.S. Immigration and Customs database, but suggested it remains unclear whether the move would even guarantee the students' legal immigration status.
April 24, 2025
GAO Denies Protest Of $10.5M DOE Support Services Deal

A company protesting a $10.5 million National Nuclear Security Administration award for support services failed to show that the agency botched its best-value evaluation, or that the awardee had misrepresented the availability of its proposed program manager, the U.S. Government Accountability Office said.
April 24, 2025
ACLU Urges Court To Enforce Family Separation Settlement

The American Civil Liberties Union has called on a California federal judge to enforce provisions of a 2023 settlement requiring the government to provide legal services to thousands of immigrant families that were separated under the first Trump administration's "zero-tolerance" policy.

Editor's Picks

The Latest On Escobar's FCA Impact

Federal courts across the country are handing down important rulings interpreting the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision on False Claims Act liability in Universal Health Services v. Escobar. As the rulings keep pouring in, stay up to speed on Law360’s latest coverage and analysis of Escobar’s impact.

Expert Analysis

Trump DOE's Plan On AI Offers Challenges, Opportunities

The Trump administration's push to make federal land available for development of artificial intelligence data centers follows a similar Biden administration proposal — but a new request for information from the U.S. Department of Energy envisions a rapid timeline that may prove challenging for both the DOE and industry stakeholders, say attorneys at HWG.
Legal Ethics Considerations For Law Firm Pro Bono Deals

If a law firm enters into a pro bono deal with the Trump administration in exchange for avoiding or removing an executive order, it has an ethical obligation to create a written settlement agreement with specific terms, which would mitigate some potential conflict of interest problems, says Andrew Altschul at Buchanan Angeli.
How To Address FCA Risk After 4th Circ. Ruling On DEI Orders

Following the Fourth Circuit's ruling in National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education v. Trump, which freed the administration to enforce executive orders targeting diversity, equity and inclusion programs, government contractors should take stock of potentially unlawful DEI programs, given their heightened risk under the False Claims Act, say attorneys at Sidley.
Series

Playing Football Made Me A Better Lawyer

While my football career ended over 15 years ago, the lessons the sport taught me about grit, accountability and resilience have stayed with me and will continue to help me succeed as an attorney, says Bert McBride at Trenam.
10 Arbitrations And A 5th Circ. Ruling Flag Arb. Clause Risks

The ongoing arbitral saga of Sullivan v. Feldman, which has engendered proceedings before 10 different arbitrators in Texas and Louisiana along with last month's Fifth Circuit opinion, showcases both the risks and limitations of arbitration clauses in retainer agreements for resolving attorney-client disputes, says Christopher Blazejewski at Sherin and Lodgen.
Contract Disputes Recap: Q&As, Gov't Claims, Pleading

Attorneys at Seyfarth examine decisions from the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals, the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals and the U.S. Court of Federal Claims covering matters including superior knowledge, government claims and pleading standards.
Self-Disclosure Calculus Remains Complex Under Trump DOJ

Shifting policy focus under the Trump administration's Justice Department has created uncertainty for individuals considering voluntarily self-disclosing crimes that are no longer considered an enforcement priority, but there has been no indication that the administration intends on dialing back self-disclosure programs, say attorneys at Fox Rothschild.
Perspectives

The Benefits Of Aligning States On Legal Paraprofessionals

Texas' proposal to become the latest state to license paraprofessional providers of limited legal services could help firms expand their reach and improve access to justice, but consumers, attorneys and allied legal professionals would benefit even more if similar programs across the country become more uniform, says Michael Houlberg at the University of Denver.
11 Tips For Contractors Dealing With DOD Staff Reductions

Defense contractors should prepare for a wide range of disruptions related to procurement and contract administration that are likely amid federal workforce reductions, say attorneys at Covington.
Pay Cos. That Adapt Can Benefit As Gov't Ends Paper Checks

Recent executive orders, instructing the government to cease issuing paper checks and to modernize and fraud-proof federal payments, will likely benefit financial services providers that facilitate government disbursements — provided they can manage the challenges and risks of transitioning to fully digital payments, say attorneys at Davis Wright.
10 Soft Skills Every GC Should Master

As businesses face shifting regulatory and technological uncertainty, general counsel will need to strengthen certain soft skills to succeed, from admitting when they make a mistake to maintaining a healthy dose of dispassion, says Douglas Brown at Manatt.
Learning From COVID-19 Enforcement Against Nursing Homes

Five years after the COVID-19 outbreak caused a high number of deaths in nursing homes, an examination of enforcement actions against nursing homes in New York and elsewhere in the country highlights obstacles that may arise when bringing cases of this type, and ways to overcome them, says Kenneth Levine at Stone & Magnanini.
Reviving A Dormant Criminal Statute In Antitrust Prosecution

The U.S. Department of Justice is poised to revive a dormant misdemeanor statute to resolve bid-rigging charges against a foreign national, providing important context to a recent effort to entice foreign defendants to take responsibility for pending charges or face the risk of extradition, say attorneys at Axinn.
End May Be In Sight For Small Biz Set-Aside Programs

A Jan. 21 executive order largely disarming the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, along with recent court rulings, suggests that the administration may soon attempt to eliminate set-asides intended to level the award playing field for small business contractors that qualify under socioeconomic programs, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.
An Unrestrained, Bright-Eyed View Of Legal AI's Future

Todd Itami at Covington offers a bright-eyed, laughing-all-the-way, skydive look at what the legal industry could look like after an artificial intelligence revolution, which he believes may happen much sooner and more dramatically than we expect.